1896 House, Williamstown. B&B and 2 motels, with restaurant/pub on site in a renovated milking barn. 413-458-1896; 1896house.com

Clover Hill Farm, Williamstown. Animal lovers will want to book a room here and hang out with the resident horses, plus Snoopy the beagle, Susie the goat, and lots of cats, ducks, chickens, goats, and more. Oh, and you can bring your own dog—or horse. 413-458-3376; cloverhillfarm.net

Guest House at Field Farm, Williamstown. 6-guestroom Bauhaus-inspired B&B featuring modern art and décor in a landscaped setting; the conserved 316-acre property, including fields, marshes, and forest, features 4 miles of hiking trails. Guests may tour The Folly, a cottage designed by Ulrich Franzen. 413-458-3135; thetrustees.org/field-farm

House on Main Street, Williamstown, MA. 6-guestroom B&B in a renovated 18th-century house with Victorian addition, near the site of colonial Fort Hoosac. Brighidi and Angus are your feline hosts. 413-458-3031; houseonmainstreet.com

Hopkins Observatory. On the campus of Williams College, thought to be the oldest existing observatory in the U.S. (dating to the 1830s), home to Milham Planetarium and the Mehlin Museum of Astronomy. 413-597-2482; astronomy.williams.edu

Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, North Adams. Works and installations by established and emerging artists, including 105 Sol LeWitt wall drawings; also hosts musical and dance performances and avant-garde theatre. 413-662-2111; massmoca.org

Sterling & Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown. Outstanding collection of European and American works, particularly 19th-century painting and sculpture, with a special focus on French Impressionism. Currently undergoing a multimillion-dollar expansion; the core collection remains open for viewing throughout the process. Visit the seasonal Stone Hill Terrace Café up the hill behind the museum to grab a sandwich or a salad while drinking in great views of the Taconic Range and the Green Mountains. 413-458-2303; clarkart.edu

Western Heritage Gateway State Park, North Adams. Programs and historical exhibits in this former railroad yard tell the story of the construction of the Hoosac Tunnel, one of the greatest engineering feats of the 19th century. Also home to the North Adams Museum of History and Science, exhibiting ancient Native American artifacts, immigration displays, natural-science materials, farm-life displays, and more. 413-663-6312; berkshireweb.com/mohawktrail/western.html

Williams College Museum of Art, Williamstown. Broad-ranging collection, with a particular emphasis on American art of the late 18th century to the present. 413-597-2429; wcma.williams.edu

Mount Greylock State Reservation. 11,000 acres over Adams, Williamstown, New Ashford; visitor center in Lanesborough. Melville’s “Imperial Purple Majesty.” Geologically, Mount Greylock, the highest point in southern New England (3,491 feet), is part of the Taconic Range to the west, but Berkshire natives and visitors claim it for their own. 50 miles of trails, including a portion of the Appalachian Trail; dramatic views; wild and rugged, yet accessible (hike or drive). In the “Hopper” area, see 200-year-old spruces. Eat and stay overnight at the summit at rustic Bascom Lodge, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. 413-499-4262, mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-west/mt-greylock-state-reservation-generic.html; 413-743-1591, bascomlodge.net

Bucksteep Manor, Washington. B&B with red gabled house, two lodges, rustic cabins, and a carriage barn in a cleft of Washington Mountain, on 400 acres with gardens and wooded hiking trails. Tavern on site. Family, group, and destination events are a specialty. 413-623-5535; bucksteepmanor.com

Canyon Ranch, Lenox. The Northeast branch of the famous luxury health-and-fitness resort and spa, in a meticulously restored 1897 mansion. 800-742-9000; canyonranch.com/lenox

Cornell Inn, Lenox. B&B complex, including an 1888 home and carriage house (built as a stable and operating as a speakeasy during Prohibition), plus a nearby 1777 home featuring original wide-plank floorboards and handhewn woodwork. In the heart of the village, adjacent to Kennedy Park, a wooded nature preserve with hiking trails. 413-637-4800; cornellbb.com

Cranwell, Lenox. Resort, spa, and golf club in a magnificent Tudor-style mansion on 380 acres, built in 1894, with grounds landscaped by Frederick Law Olmsted. Blossom Hill, the property where the house now stands, was once the property of abolitionist Rev. Henry Ward Beecher. 413-637-1364; cranwell.com

Garden Gables Inn, Lenox. A gracious lodging with 18 guestrooms, many in the 1780 main house, with others in two adjoining cottages. Sherry is served every afternoon—a gracious and civilized tradition. 413-637-0193; gardengablesinn.com

Hampton Terrace, Lenox. 5-guestroom B&B in a handsome white Federal-style home dating to 1852. The distinctive front entrance features a columned demilune portico and a front door with prominent iron strap hinges, surrounded by an amber glass fanlight and sidelights. Also on the grounds are guest cottages plus a carriage house with 6 rooms. 413-637-1773; hamptonterrace.com

Kemble Inn, Lenox. 13 B&B guestrooms in a Georgian-style Gilded Age mansion. Mountain vistas from the back of the property. Family and group event hosting is a specialty. Restaurant (prix-fixe dinner and Sunday brunch) on site. 413-637-4113; kembleinn.com

RookWood Inn, Lenox. Founded as the Williams Tavern in 1825, then remodeled and restored as a Victorian lodging house with turret, it’s now a charming B&B with a spacious front porch. Afternoon sweets and hors d’oeuvres are a special treat. 413-637-9850; rookwoodinn.com

Seven Hills Inn, Lenox. Luxuriously furnished Gilded Age manor house on 27 acres near Laurel Lake, and next door to The Mount. 413-637-0060; sevenhillsinn.com

Stonover Farm. Luxury B&B in a Shingle-style Gilded Age house with distinctive stone foundation, plus a cottage and refurbished schoolhouse. 413-637-9100; stonoverfarm.com

Summer White House Inn, Lenox. 6 guestrooms (5 with canopied beds), name for First Ladies, in the former Schermerhorn “cottage,” built in 1885; opulently furnished and graced with antique furnishings and original American paintings. 413-637-4489; thesummerwhitehouse.com

White Horse Inn, Pittsfield. 8 guestrooms in a gracious, renovated Federal-style B&B, built at the turn of the 20th century. 413-442-2512; whitehorsebb.com

Where to See in the Berkshires’ Central County | Arts & Culture

Albany Berkshire Ballet, Pittsfield. Best known for its Nutcracker performances each holiday season, this professional company is now launching a repertory of other classic works and contemporary dance on the Barrington Stage and in summer at Jacob’s Pillow. 413-445-5382; berkshireballet.org

Hancock Shaker Village, Pittsfield. Restored historic buildings, artifacts, and farmlands tell the story of the celibate religious community that lived here in “the City of Peace” from 1783 to the early 20th century and the fine crafts, trades, and industries they developed here. Of special note is the Round Stone Barn, built in 1826 as a milking parlor and hay storage area. The Village Harvest Café serves Shaker-inspired lunch and picnic fare. 413-443-0188; hancockshakervillage.org

Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Becket. Summer performances and classes featuring American and international companies on the grounds of a former mountaintop farm, purchased in 1931 by modern-dance innovator Ted Shawn. 413-243-0745; jacobspillow.org

Melville Trail. Self-guided driving and walking tour of 12 of the author’s favorite Berkshire County sites, including his Pittsfield home, Arrowhead. 413-442-1793; berkshirehistory.org/melville-trail

The Mount, Lenox. This restored estate above Laurel Lake, with Georgian Revival mansion, lush formal gardens, and outbuildings, was home to Gilded Age novelist Edith Wharton from 1902 to 1911. Designed by Wharton, it reflects her deep expertise in architecture, interior décor, and landscape design. 413-551-5111; edithwharton.org

Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Lenox. Nature and education center, with 1,500 acres and 7 miles of trails through forest, meadows, wetlands, Yokun Brook, and slopes of Lenox Mountain. A sizable beaver population is a special feature. 413-637-0320; massaudubon.org/pleasantvalley

Shakespeare & Company, Lenox. Summer theatre company presenting a selection of the Bard’s tragedies and comedies, plus works by contemporary playwrights, staged readings, and professional training. A special highlight on the grounds is the Elizabethan-style Renaissance Garden, featuring flowering plants taken from Shakespeare’s imagery. 413-637-3353; shakespeare.org

Tanglewood Music Festival, Lenox/Stockbridge. Founded in 1937 on the grounds of the Tappan family estate; summer concert series and seasonal home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, with guest instrumentalists, vocalists, and conductors, plus an academy for advanced music students. A summer tradition for locals and visitors, with picnicking on the Great Lawn. The Tanglewood Jazz Festival wraps up the season on Labor Day weekend. 888-266-1200; bso.org

Ventfort Hall, Lenox. Restored Jacobean Revival–style mansion, built in 1893, now a museum devoted to the Gilded Age, hosting historical exhibits and special programs. 413-637-3206; gildedage.org

Wahconah Park, Pittsfield. In the city whose 1791 baseball bylaw predates any other written reference to the sport that has turned up thus far, this venerable park (built in 1892) boasts one of the few remaining wooden grandstands in the U.S. Today it’s the home of the Pittsfield Suns, a franchise of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League.

What to Do in the Berkshires’ Central County | Outdoor Recreation

Aspinwall Adult Equestrian Center, Lenox. Venture out on horseback across Kennedy Park and Lenox Mountain, with breathtaking views of the Berkshires. 413-637-9090; berkshirehorseback.net

Bousquet Mountain, Pittsfield. Home ski area of U.S. Olympians Heidi Voelker and Kim and Krista Schmidinger. Pub and bar with fireplace on site. Summer/fall facilities include water slides, zipline, climbing wall, mini-golf, and adventure park with ropes and bridges. 413-442-8316; bousquets.com

Windsor State Forest, Windsor. Crisscrossed by 10 miles of trails and dirt roads; on this abandoned farmland sits an abandoned sleepaway camp, said to be haunted. On Windsor Jambs Brook feeding into the Westfield River, 80-foot granite walls rise above a 25-foot-wide gorge; highlight is a spectacular cascading waterfall. 413-684-0948; mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-west/windsor-state-forest-generic.html

The Berkshires’ South County

Where to Eat in the Berkshires’ South County | Dining

Aegean Breeze, Great Barrington. American and authentic Greek fare (including casseroles), a favorite with locals and visitors alike. 413-528-4001; aegean-breeze.com

Old Inn on the Green, New Marlborough. For authentic 18th-century atmosphere, you can’t beat this 200-year-old former stagecoach stop, serving expertly prepared fare in candlelit dining rooms with fireplaces. There’s a taproom, too. Overnight guests have a choice of 11 rooms at the inn and nearby Thayer House. 413-229-7924; oldinn.com

Old Mill, South Egremont. Serving seasonal fare and traditional favorites in an 18th-century gristmill that still retains its wide-plank flooring, chestnut beams, iron sconces, and wood-burning forge. 413-528-1421; oldmillberkshires.com

Route 7 Grill, Great Barrington. “Fire, Smoke and Spirits”: Beef, pork, and chicken BBQ, a favorite with local and visitors alike. 413-528-3235; route7grill.com

Rubiner’s Cheesemongers & Grocers, Great Barrington. One of the East Coast’s best cheese emporiums, with both local and imported varieties, some rather rare on these shores. Rubi’s is the coffee and sandwich shop in back; also serves delectable dinners on weekend nights. 413-528-0488; rubiners.com

Applegate Inn, Lee. 8-room B&B in a 1920s Georgian-style columned mansion with beautifully landscaped grounds, highlighted by lush lawns, flower and vegetable gardens, towering pines, and aged apple trees, the remnants of an old orchard. The adjacent carriage house has 2 suites and a cottage. 413-243-4451; applegateinn.com

Briarcliff Motel, Great Barrington. Renovated 1960s-era roadside place decorated in hip Mad Men style, across the road from Monument Mountain. 413-528-3000; thebriarcliffmotel.com

Chambéry Inn, Lee. 9-room B&B with an Old World feel (think fireplaces and canopied beds, 13-foot ceilings, 8-foot windows) in a converted parochial school, originally built in 1885 (financed by a member of the socially prominent Sedgwick family who had converted to Catholicism) for the Sisters of St. Joseph, whose order originated in Chambéry, France. 413-243-2221; chamberyinn.com

Devonfield Inn, Lee. Elegantly yet comfortably furnished 9-room B&B plus cottage on an English-style country house dating to the Gilded Age, with 32 acres, including a lovely meadow shaded by birches. 413-243-3298; devonfield.com

English Hideaway Inn, Housatonic. New carriage house houses 3 guestrooms on the grounds of a 1780 farmhouse. An unusual feature of the main building is an authentic Rumford living-room fireplace, one of the earliest in New England, while the keeping room retains its original beams and wide-board chestnut flooring. The estate was a stop on the Underground Railroad; two of the cottage’s bedrooms retain secret compartments for hiding escaping slaves. Gardens and 200-year-old trees grace the inn’s grounds, overlooking Tom Ball Mountain. 413-274-6149; englishhideawayinn.com

Federal House Inn, South Lee. A distinctive wide portico with 2-story white columns fronts this stately red-brick home, built in 1824, now a 9-guestroom B&B. 413-243-1824; federalhouseinn.com

Jonathan Foote 1778 House, Lee. 5-guestroom B&B in an 18th-century post-and-beam farmhouse—also a stagecoach stop and a tavern from time to time—with many original features, including wide-plank floorboards, 12-over-12 windows, antique hardware, four fireplaces, and a 7-foot hearth with beehive oven. 413-243-4545; 1778house.com

Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, Stockbridge. Workshops, outdoor activities, and classes. Offers overnight and weekend retreats with meals and accommodations, as well as day programs, for wellness, fitness, and spirituality. 413-448-3400; kripalu.org

New Boston Inn, Sandisfield. Historic 7-guestroom B&B built in 1750. Tavern and restaurant on site serving classic New England fare. 413-258-4477; newbostoninn.com

Red Lion Inn, Stockbridge. Big, historic lodging place and stagecoach stop dating from the 1770s (rebuilt after a fire in 1896), one of the few hostelries operating continuously since the 18th century. You can’t miss the distinctive columned veranda, complete with an army of rockers. Art and antiques grace long interior hallways; a vintage birdcage elevator is an unusual feature. (The inn also owns several guesthouses in town, including the former village firehouse and a former studio on the grounds of Chesterwood.) Home to the flagship Country Curtains store. Formal dining room on site; also the casual Widow Bingham’s Tavern, serving traditional favorites and classic fare. And for nightlife and pub grub, you can’t beat The Lion’s Den. 413-298-5545; redlioninn.com

Shaker Mill Inn, West Stockbridge. Nine spacious B&B guestrooms and suites in a historic bright-red converted barn; a unique feature is the rock garden in front of the house. 877-385-2484; shakermillinn.com

Windflower Inn, Great Barrington. 13 guestrooms in an antiques-filled 1850 B&B Fantastic breakfasts made with local ingredients. 413-528-2720; windflowerinn.com

What to See in the Berkshires’ South County | Arts & Culture

Aston Magna Music Festival. Summer concert series featuring Baroque works performed on period instruments and historically accurate reproductions.

Berkshire Theatre Festival, Stockbridge. Founded in 1928 on the Stanford White–designed Fitzpatrick Main Stage, this summer series presents classic works and world premieres; campus includes the smaller Unicorn Theatre, presenting new and emerging artists, and the outdoor Neil Ellenoff Stage for family entertainment. 413-298-5576; berkshiretheatregroup.org

Chesterwood, Stockbridge. Summer country home, studio, and gardens of Daniel Chester French, the renowned American sculptor of works including the Minute Man in Concord and the seated Abraham Lincoln at the memorial in Washington. 413-298-3579; chesterwood.org

Guthrie Center, Great Barrington. At Old Trinity Church, it’s the place where the events of “Alice’s Restaurant” transpired. Today it’s a center for spiritual and political discourse and a performance space for roots musicians in the tradition of Woody and Arlo Guthrie. 413-528-1955; guthriecenter.org

Historic Berkshires: An 18th-Century Trail. Driving tour of six early homes in the region, now open to the public: Ashley House in Sheffield (thetrustees.org/places-to-visit/berkshires/ashley-house.html), home of Colonial landowner and Revolutionary patriot Colonel John Ashley, and Mum Bett, a slave in the household who sued Ashley for her freedom in 1781 and won; Dan Raymond House in Sheffield, home of a Tory sympathizer-turned-patriot; Captain Wheeler House and farm buildings in Great Barrington; Bidwell House Museum, a former parsonage on 192 acres with hiking trails; Mission House and Native American museum in Stockbridge, home to John Sergeant, missionary to the Mohicans; and Arrowhead in Pittsfield, Herman Melville’s home. berkshire18thcenturytrail.org

Naumkeag, Stockbridge. Gilded Age splendor lives at this historic Shingle-style estate, designed by McKim, Mead & White, for attorney and diplomat Joseph Choate. The gardens, designed by Fletcher Steele and Mabel Choate, Joseph’s daughter, are a masterpiece of modern landscape design, and a rare surviving example of Steele’s work that is open to the public. The property’s famous “Blue Steps” (fountain pools, flanked by four flights of stairs and a grove of white birches), designed by Steele, were restored this year in honor of their 75th anniversary. Other notable garden areas include the Linden Allée, the Chinese Pagoda, and the Peony Terrace, among many more. 413-298-3239

Normal Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge. Home and studio of this most beloved of American artists and illustrators, with a large collection of original works. 413-298-4100; nrm.org

Upper Housatonic Valley African American Heritage Trail. 48 sites across 29 towns in Western Massachusetts and Connecticut, including Ashley House in Sheffield, home of Mum Bett, who sued her owner for her freedom in 1781 and won her case; W. E. B. Du Bois’ boyhood homesite in Great Barrington; the Rev. Samuel Harrison House in Pittsfield, home of the chaplain to the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment; and 23 other sites in 12 towns honoring the men of the 54th. 413-528-3391; uhvafamtrail.org

What to Do in the Berkshires’ South County |Outdoor Recreation

Bartholomew’s Cobble, Sheffield. 5 miles of trails through fields, forest, and marshes, passing caves and beaver ponds, across twin knolls, once part of the estate of Colonel John Ashley (also a Trustees property). From Hurlburt’s Hill, at 1,000 feet, views north up the Housatonic Valley are breathtaking. Natural-history museum on site. 413-229-8600; thetrustees.org/places-to-visit/berkshires/bartholomews-cobble.html

Berkshire Botanical Garden, Stockbridge. 15 acres of public displays, among the oldest in the U.S. Offering workshops, classes, and lectures, plus annual events, including a Harvest Festival (October 5–6 this year) and a Holiday Fair. 413-298-3926; berkshirebotanical.org

Catamount, South Egremont. The town of Hillsdale, New York, shares this Taconic Range ski mountain (Mount Fray), in operation since 1939. Tavern and two cafés on site. 413-528-1262; catamountski.com

Housatonic RiverWalk, Great Barrington. Greenway and National Recreation Trail along the water, with many native plants. The W. E. B. DuBois River Garden Park is a special feature. 413-528-3391; gbriverwalk.org

Monument Mountain, Great Barrington. From Squaw Peak, at 1,642 feet, the views of the surrounding hills and valley are awe-inspiring. Trails include the remains of ancient Native American footpaths and Colonial carriage roads along stone pasture walls. Subject of a poem by William Cullen Bryant and site of a picnic and cave shelter where a conversation between Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville cemented their friendship and resulted in new inspiration to finish Moby-Dick. 413-298-3239

Mount Washington State Forest, Mount Washington. 30 miles of trails over rugged terrain on a mountain plateau. Within the forest is Bash Bish Falls State Park, home of Massachusetts’ highest single-drop waterfall. 413-528-0330

Ski Butternut, Great Barrington. 110 skiable acres on East Mountain, founded in 1963. 413-528-2000; skibutternut.com

Stockbridge Bowl, Stockbridge. Also called Lake Mahkeenac, it’s open to paddling, sailing, fishing, swimming, and boating; adjacent to Bullard Woods and Gould Meadows. Among the Berkshire “cottages” above the lake are Kripalu (a retreat and yoga center) and Seranak (not open to the public), former home of BSO director Serge Koussevitzky, and now part of Tanglewood. thesba.org

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